


Hope Will Never Die

by shikidixi



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-20
Updated: 2015-07-22
Packaged: 2018-04-10 06:42:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4381289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shikidixi/pseuds/shikidixi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the bleak future, loved ones are lost. One by one, broken hearted lovers and lost children show up on the doorstep of Ylisstol's castle. Maribelle and Lissa provide what the rest of the world cannot: somewhere safe. (A series of short stories following the death of everyone's parents)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Noire

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not really a Tharja fan, I'm sorry. I am however a Noire fan, so I gave her a home.

Lon’qu was lost first. Well, third really, but nobody liked to remember Chrom and Robin’s grizzly fates. So – Lon’qu was first. And when Maribelle knocked on the door of his house she was greeted with Henry practically falling into her arms, still wailing in despair. It had happened days ago, but the wounds still burned fresh.

“Let me get your things darling,” Maribelle murmured into his hair as she hugged him back.

He only sniffled and hugged tighter in reponse, but only for a moment. A tugging of the cloak that fell around his feet gathered his attention and he looked down at the child at his feet. No older than 5 and with bright white hair just like his, “Daddy are you okay?”

Henry pulled away from Maribelle and stooped down to gather her up in his arms, “Of course, Noire. I’m always peachy keen!” But his voice was seconds away from cracking, the light of his smile not quite reaching his eyes. It was enough for Noire though, she hugged his neck then turned to look at Maribelle.

“Hello.”

The simple word sent a jolt through the woman. How unfazed by all this the little girl seemed, did she understand what had happened? Maribelle dreaded the conversation if not.

She held out a hand to Noire, who grabbed some of her fingers tentatively. Henry turned back to Maribelle then hesitantly held the child out to her. “I’ll grab my things—you take Noire please.”

So she did, handling the girl with care then turning to go back outside to where a carriage awaited to take them back to the capital. Ylisstol was the safest place now, and that was a stretch, but it seemed the only right option to Maribelle. A safe, warm place is some comfort to the broken hearted surely.

She set the little girl inside the carriage and smiled. “How are you, Noire?”

The little girl didn’t respond, she was preoccupied with something she was fiddling with.

“What is that, sweetheart?” Maribelle asked.

Noire held it up in her open palm. A ring, specifically one that had belonged to Lon’qu. The woman frowned momentarily, but smile sheepishly before returning her eyes to Noire’s face. “Do take care of that.” She stated.

The girl nodded and then there was silence between them for a while. Henry was taking an awfully long time. “I’m going to go check on your father, alright?” Then Maribelle turned to walk inside again.

“You’re leaving me too?”

The woman paused in her step and made an about face, immediately locking her eyes to the bright red of Noire’s. “Only for a second, dear.”

Noire looked away an her bottom lip trembled, “First dad, then daddy, and now you… Everyone is leaving me--,” her voice caught and she looked down at her hands again.

Maribelle walked back to the side of the carriage and tentatively extended a hand to the girl, “I’m not leaving, Noire. I do promise I will return posthaste, and what nobility would I be if I lied? Besides, your father is fine, I’m going to fetch him.” She grinned as best she could for the poor lost girl.

Noire didn’t look at her, only at the ring. It was beautiful for certain. A deeply pink ruby heart set into silver claws. “Okay,” she murmured after a long while.

The woman was slow to retract her hand and then turn to head back inside again. The poor girl… she was too good at hiding her sadness for one so terribly young.

Maribelle knocked, but found no answer this time. Shocked she threw a look over her shoulder, but Noire hadn’t seemed to notice. _And thank Naga for that._ Maribelle pushed the door open and went inside of her own accord. “Henry? Where are you, we are waiting darling!” She tried to mask her nervousness with cheer.

But there was no response. Maribelle started to wander the small home. Nobody in the living room, nor the empty bedrooms. Frantic, she practically burst into the kitchen, the last room. Much to her relief she found Henry there, sitting doubled over and shivering as if crying still. The woman placed a gentle touch on the back of his head, and ran her fingers through his hair.

“Are you quite alright, Henry?” she murmured.

He rolled his head until his gaze could meet hers, again a jolt of pain seared through her. “Oh honey…” Maribelle was quick to gather him into her arms, he was slow to reciprocate.

“I-I don’t know if I can j-just keep going Maribelle, what reason--,” Henry was interrupted by a sob.

Maribelle pulled away from him and gave him a stern look, “Henry! That darling little girl of yours hardly let me come in to see if you were alright! Do you know what she said to me?” he shook his head slowly, “She asked if I was leaving her too, me! She had already lost hope in you!”

Henry, if it was possible, looked even more pained. Conflict alight in his eyes; succumb to the selfish pain, or tough it out for the daughter he was quickly losing?

Maribelle couldn’t bear to see that look and pulled him close again, he returned the affection vigorously this time. Once they pulled apart again he looked down at the ring on his finger, twisting it slightly and biting his trembling lip. “Okay…” his voice hardly a whisper. Henry shakily rose to his feet and Maribelle offered him a hand, he took it. “I understand. I don’t know why I let myself—,” he took in a sharp breath and screwed up his face as if overcome with pain, “forget.”

When they both stepped outside again, Noire’s face lit up with a smile unlike any before and she practically launched herself out of the carriage to run into her father’s arms. He was more than delighted to crouch down and scoop her up, and for a moment nothing was wrong in either of their worlds.

Maybe there could be a few more moments like that.


	2. Severa and Cynthia

Sumia was second; Cordelia third. There was nobody to pick up, the news reached Maribelle and Lissa’s ears the dreary dawn that the knuckles of a young girl with shocking red hair hit the door. Maribelle, always up bright and early was the one to tentatively open the door.

“Severa!” she practically threw the door wide. The poor girl had cheeks raw from tears, and a little bundle in her shaking arms. “Where are your mothers?”

“Dead!” she spat. The tone shocked Maribelle and she clasped a hand over her heart.

“Is—is that so?”

“Yeah! M-mom shoved Cynthia into my arms, b-begged me to run,” the little girl sucked in a deep, snotty breath. “No Pegasus w-was going to get out of that one, running was my o-only—,” a sob broke out of the girl and she buried her face in Cynthia’s blankets.

Maribelle immediately dropped to a crouch and put her hands on either side of Severa’s face, “It’s alright now it’s okay. Severa, sweetie come inside okay?”

The girl’s head shot up so fast that Maribelle’s fingers were torn away, “I HEARD HER DIE MISS MARI!”

The woman was shocked that such a small child could garner volume enough to wake a neighborhood. If neighborhoods even existed anymore… And such anguish. Oh how it ate at her heart, what do you tell a little girl who listened to her mother’s dying screams?

Severa’s knees suddenly gave and she slammed down onto the hard pavement, her body wracked with shrill sobs. Maribelle scooped the girl and her bundled sister up into her arms, rocking gently from side to side once she’d gotten to her feet.

“Shhhh, it’s alright Severa.” And she brought the two girls inside, shutting the door quietly behind her as Severa’s sobs started to stifle into her bosom.

Maribelle looked down at the both of them, saw the ugly look on the sleeping baby and knew she’d be awakened and in tears as well soon enough. She sighed. Not out of contempt or exasperation, but from overwhelming sorrow. What else was there to do?

She needed Lissa…

“Severa, sweetheart, how does some warm tea sound? I’ll make it for you myself, it will warm you down to your toes, that’s a promise!”

Severa pulled her face away from Maribelle’s chest and looked down at Cynthia for a moment before nodding slightly.

“Alright.”

Maribelle trekked into the kitchen where she set the girl down gently, “Wait right here, your sister needs a proper crib after that journey, hm?”

“Okay, Miss Mari.”

Maribelle waited until Severa had taken a seat then she left the room. On her way to the nursery she bumped into a sleepy looking Lissa who smiled at the little bundle in her wife’s arms. “Who’s this?” she murmured warmly as she rubbed her eyes.

“Cynthia,” Maribelle whispered.

Lissa’s gentle smile fell into a frown and she looked up at Maribelle with heavy eyes, “Cordelia a-and Sumia…?”

“I’m afraid so,” the woman answered gently. “I need to take Cynthia to the nursery, will you go see Severa in the kitchen?”

Lissa nodded firmly then planted a quick kiss on Maribelle’s cheek before running off. The woman continued on her way to the nursery. Lissa and she had prepared after taking in their first broken family. Certainly plenty of their friends, and plenty of the people of Ylisse, had newborns. It was only right for the remaining royal family to fill their empty castle with what life remained. Though often, just like this, the children came without parents.

The woman found an unoccupied crib and settled Cynthia into it. The little girl smiled in her sleep, as if the comfort of the bed had reached her idle dreams. Maribelle smiled back. She stooped into the crib and put a kiss onto the forehead of the little girl.

Then she walked over to a second crib, another newborn was swaddled up inside it. His hair a beautiful blonde just like his mother’s. “Good morning Owain,” she cooed gently before leaning in to plant a kiss on his sleeping face as well.

Babies taken care of for the moment Maribelle left the nursery to attend to a cup of tea, and a world of sorrows.


	3. Laurent

Kellam was fourth, or so it was thought. Lissa was up late reading, the children had woken her from sleep earlier in fright of a storm.  There was a great pounding on the doors to the castle, a noise Lissa certainly never thought she’d hear. It would take a might knuckle, or perhaps something sturdier to really _knock_ on those doors.

Grabbing an axe and slinking over to the grand doors she hesitated. What could possibly be here at this hour? She lifted the bar from the door and slowly pushed one of them open a crack. A sharp gasp escaped her and she threw the doors wide, “Miriel! What’s going on, what happened?”

Despite the rain Lissa could tell her eyes were red with tears, and the little boy clinging to her leg seemed in no better shape. If it could make Miriel cry…

“Oh—answer that in a second how awful of me, please come inside oh please.”

And the two visitors were ushered in. Lissa wondered for a moment if there were perhaps supposed to be three, and waited a moment for Miriel’s ever elusive husband to enter if he had not already. By the time Lissa had turned around again Miriel was seated on the floor with her child in her lap. They were embracing deeply, though neither seemed physically able to produce their sadness outside of the tears that had earlier stained their cheeks.

“Please get up, Miriel,” the girl murmured kindly as she held out a hand.

“Of course, excuse me for seating myself upon your floor. Truly an uncouth gesture, though not entirely my fault as you have not many chairs around here,” the woman stated as she got to her feet, heaving the boy up with her.

“Er… sorry but this an entry hall,” Lissa giggled. Though she knew better than to think the mood lightened. She turned her bright smile to the little brunette boy in his mother’s arms, “Hey Laurent, doing okay? Why don’t we get dry clothes and towels for both of you, huh?”

He just nodded his head a little, and then Miriel did as well. “Truly, no one will feel any better soaked to the bone and in a chilly, chairless entry hall.” Then Lissa saw the strangest of expressions cross Miriel’s face, a shaky smile. The mage was often bad enough with emotions, but to see one like that… She looked so hurt. Lissa bit her lip to keep from throwing her arms around the woman then and there, it was obvious her feigned normalcy was to keep Laurent from falling apart.

The cleric guided the mage into the bathing room and set in some of the stockpiled clothes beside their towels before dashing off to make tea. That always made people feel better right? At least Maribelle seemed to think that, and nobody was ever as in touch with people than her lovely wife.

Just as she was running the tray back up to the bathing room Miriel stepped out, stooped over so that she might hold Laurent’s hand while they walked. She raised her eyebrows at Lissa who returned the look with a broad, concerned grin. “Hey! Feeling better? Want some tea? It’s um… well I don’t actually know sorry but it’s probably good Maribelle had a lot of it in the kitchen.”

“Excuse me if I pass up your offer, Laurent is exhausted after our journey and I would see him to a proper night’s sleep.”

“Right!” Lissa shouted as if it would hide the red crossing her face, “Follow me, I’ll show you to a guest room.”

“Mother, will you stay with me?” Laurent asked with wide, worried eyes.

“Of course Laurent,” she simply returned.

Lissa took them to a guest room, tray awkwardly trembling in her arms the whole time. She felt a little silly now, of course they were tired! Sigh, what a fool she could be sometimes.

After she had gotten them settled in Lissa took the tray back into the kitchen. A cup of tea did sound nice to herself right about now… and the water _was_ still blistering. She poured the water into one of the cups and stirred it gently before wandering off to find her book again. On her return to the kitchen the cleric was surprised to see Miriel standing in there.

Without turning the mage wrapped her arms around herself and murmured, “I think I would like to take you up on your offer after all… if it is still available despite my curt attitude.”

“Of course it is! Don’t even worry, please sit down,” Lissa ushered as she rushed to her own seat to pour another cup.

Miriel was quiet and withheld eye contact as Lissa made her a cup and slid it across the table with a gentle ‘here you go.’

They sat in silence for a long moment.

“Do you want to talk, Miriel?” The cleric asked gently.

Miriel finally turned slightly more towards Lissa, though only to look at the cup that had been pushed towards her. She took it with shaking hands and sipped some before responding, “Laurent fell asleep quickly, that was a relief. I did not have such luxury.”

“He looked pretty shaken up, you did too! What happened?” Though the look that appeared on Miriel’s face made Lissa regret her words immediately.

There was another long silence. Another sip of tea.

“I… I turned my back for one moment. We figured our home was secluded enough to be lost to even the risen, but it seems that only made our circumstance worse,” she paused to take a shaky breath. “During the ensuing altercation, I—I turned my back to… him for a moment.” Tears pricked at her eyes. “The next time my gaze found him he was little more than… than a --.”

Lissa opened her mouth to respond but was interrupted by a loud sob, “How could I turn my back on him, milady?”

The cleric was shocked at the display and at first had no reaction. Miriel recovered quickly, shifting her glasses as if they could hide her tears, “F-forgive my outburst, where are my manners.”

“No! Nononono it’s alright Miriel, really, oh Miriel.” Lissa jumped to her feet and walked around the table to offer the mage a hug. After a moments hesitance she obliged the cleric.

Even when she pulled away she seemed to linger, but Lissa wouldn’t pry.

“I need to rest… thank you for the tea.”

“Miriel… you don’t have to hide it really it’s okay to be sad and--.”

“My lady Exalt, I do not hide it. This world is already a mess, I simply do not desire to add to it. Besides… I have reasons left to smile--,” her voice caught a moment. “Laurent will need me to not miss his father as much as he does.”

Lissa understood… it was the same way with Lucina really. If she missed Chrom, Lissa couldn’t. A child needed smiles in their life. “If you ever feel differently Miriel, there will always be tea here for you.”

Miriel just nodded and again adjusted her glasses, as though to hide the glint of tears on her cheeks. Denial was all they had left.


End file.
